Roasted Garbanzo beans (Chickpea poppers)

These have become somewhat of a problem around here.  Mike and I are going through them extremely quickly- like 1-2 cans a day - he says they taste like fried chicken.  I finally got around to making some from dry beans to have a little more say in the salt factor, cut costs and get away from the BPA in the cans with the rate we were consuming them!  At any rate, these are delicious, easy to make and very versatile.  Any kid except mine should love these.  They make a great packable snack full of great fiber and protein and are much more satisfying than other snacks I seem to stuff my face with until I feel some sense of fullness.  I have fallen love with making them using curry powder &/or Old Bay, but you can use any spice you think of that sounds tasty. 

If you are using canned garbanzo beans, keep an eye on the amount of sodium used in the brand you are choosing.  I have found they vary wildly and can quickly veer away from being quite as nutritious when you are eating 2g of sodium in a sitting.  Like baking with butter, I think it is best to use unsalted or lowest salted then add your spices as you like it. I will include a note about cooking your own from scratch below, but out of convenience, the recipe is written for canned.

Roasted Garbanzo Beans (preheat oven to 425)

• 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed*
• ~1tsp-2tbls olive oil (use how much you want or are comfortable with, I just drizzle it out of my bottle and coat the garbs)
• ~1/2tsp salt
• ~1/4tsp freshly ground pepper
• ~1tsp optional spice (curry, Old Bay, smoky paprika, cumin....)

Directions
In small/medium bowl, toss the garbanzos with the oil, then add the spices you want.  Spread the beans in a single layer out on a cookie sheet and roast approximately25-35 minutes, stirring and flipping them every 10  minutes or so.  They should generally be firmly chewy when done.  I like it when I occasionally over cook a batch and have garbanzo nuts, but Mike and I differ there...

*If cooking from dry beans, simply toss your dry garbs in a pot of water with at least 3 inches water over the top of the beans and bring to boil, then simmer gently for about 2 hours, then drain.  I found that when I did it this way vs. from canned beans, they cooked a little more quickly and were a little crunchy, more like corn nuts.  You could very easily make these and a batch of Chocolate Chip Blondies and be set with a delicious power snack combo.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:  YOU MUST TRY THESE TOSSED WITH THE TUSCAN KALE SALAD!!!

I don't want to sell this smoked salmon wonder salad short, but the Kale salad truly is over the moon.  I just lost my pictures with a computer crash.  boo.